Driving device for pile members



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DRIVING DEVICE FOR PILE MEMBERS Filed April 14; 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Irmenfan' L uwwc 17044151? HrrQRA/E rs United States Patent 3,106,258DRIVING DEVICE FOR PILE MEMBERS Ludwig Miiller, Heinrich-Heine-Str. 41,Marburg an tier Lahn, Germany Filed Apr. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 22,164Claims priority, application Germany Apr. 25, 1959 6 Claims. (Cl.175-55) The present invention relates to a device for driving or liftingtubular members, piles, sheet piles, etc. and similar members to bedriven or lifited. The term pile member hereinafter sometimes used isintended to encompass 'all structures that can be driven or lifted witha device of the kind to which the present invention re lates. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a de- 3,106,258 Patented Oct. 8,1963 ments of the invention are shown by way of illustration vice fordriving and lifting of pile members utilizing dynamic oscillatory forcesacting in the driving direction or the opposite direction which aregenerated by means of a vibratory exciter including rotary masses.

There are known installations of the general kind above referred to, inwhich the exciter is mounted on a frame structure and slidable alongthelength thereof and in which static forces directed either in the drivingdirection or opposite thereto are applied to the member to be driven orlifted by subjecting said member to load or pull forces whereby thepower output of the device producing the static forces is adjustableduring operation. More specifically, the static forces are produced-bymeans of a heavy frame structure on which a pile driver is mounted and arope winch mounted at the base of the frame structure, the traction ropeof the winch being linked by spring means to the driven member. it

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved deviceof the general kind above referred to which affords the advantage that aheavy frame structure for supporting the pile driving device is notrequired. Such heavy structurev is necessary in heretofore knowninstallations since the frame structure has to sustain laterallydirected forces caused by the rope pull of the winch. With theinstallation, according to the invention, it is merely necessary to holdthe frame structure in a selected location, and the means used for soholding the frame structure are not subjected to the forces that areused to effect the actual driving or'lifting operation.

According to the invention the aforementioned objects,

features and advantages and other objects, features and advantages whichwill be pointed out hereinafter, are attained by providing acomparatively light frame structure movable on a support base inreference to a pile member to be worked. On this frame structure a powerdriven transmission means on the frame structure is coupled with thevibration exciter slidably guided along the frame structure and actingupon the pile member to be driven or lifted in order to apply load andpull forces thereto.

The frame structure is preferably equipped with mounted hooks and eyesfor attaching the load hook of a derrick or the jig boom of a hoist tothe frame structure.

The transmission means by means of which the load or pull forces areapplied to the exciter and through it to the pile member may compriseendless chains or ropes which are guided over pulleys mounted at the topand the base of the frame structure and are driven by a motor,preferably mounted at the base of the frame structure.

Instead of using an endless rope or chain drive a piniongear rack drivemay also be provided. The rack then preferably extends along the lengthof the frame structure and the pinion is mounted on the exciter.

To steady the frame structure in the selected location a platform forplacing ballast weights thereon may be provided at the base of the theframe structure.

In the accompanying drawing several preferred embodiand not by way oflimitation.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pile driving device according to theinvention, the transmission means on the frame structure being shown asa chain drive.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a modification of the cording to thisfigure, comprises an upright frame structure 1 mounting at its base arunning wheel 2 resting on the ground 3. Guide rails 4, 4' extend alongthe length of the frame structure for guiding a yoke 5. The yoke isslidable up and down along the rails guided by rollers 6, the drivingdirection is being indicated by R and the lifting direction by Z. Yoke 5has a laterally extending arm from which is suspended by means ofcompression springs 8 the vibratory exciter 7. The exciter is onlydiagrammatically indicated; it should be visualized as comprising a pairof rotary masses 7a and 7b which are rotated synchronously but inopposite directions. The pile member 9 indicated as a pile shaft isclamped to the exciter by any clamping means suitable for the purpose.

flnorder to transmit static forces in the direction R or Z from theframe structure to the exciter, a power driven trans-mission means isprovided on the frame structure. This transmission means comprisesendless chains or belts 1 1, 11 which are guided over pulleys 12 at thetop and the base of the frame structure. 1 The chain drive should bevisualized as being driven from a drive means 10 diagrammaticallyindicated at the base of the frame structure. The chain drive is coupledwith the yoke by means of a suitable locking or clamping means 13. As isevident, yoke 5 can be lowered or lifted by driving chains 11, 11 in oneor the other direction. Movement of the yoke in the direction R willapply to pile member 9 a static force in the driving direction andsimilarly lifting of yoke 5 will apply to member 9 a static force in thelifting direction. As is apparent, the static forces will coact by meansof the exciter.

A platform '14 is provided at the base of the frame structure forplacing thereon ballast weights 15. A jig boom 16 from which a load hook17 depends, is rotatably mounted at the top of the frame structure. Theframe structure is further equipped with one or several hooks and eyes18', 18" and 18" for hooking the entire installation to a derrick orhoist 19 as is shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 2 corresponding components are designated with the samereference characters as in FIG. 1 but indexed with the letter a.

The structure of FIG. 2 is similar in principle to that of FIG. 1 exceptthat the endless chain or rope drive of FIG. 1 is replaced by apinion-rack drive. Rack 23 extends along the length of the framestructure and coacts with a pinion 24 mounted on yoke 5a. The yoke alsosupports the drive motor 25 for the gear drive. As is evident travel ofpinion 24 along the rack will produce static forces which aretransmitted to the pile member 9a to be driven or lifted.

The frame structure and all the parts supported thereby are held inposition by spacer rods 26 hooked in eyes 18a" and 18a' and to thederrick.

The arrangement of FIG. 3 is evident from the previous In thearrangement of FIG. 4 the entire installation is laid down for transportand is placed with its upper part upon a platform 27 of a truck 28. Theprotruding part of the frame structure is supported by a running wheel20'.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certainnow preferred examples and embodiments of the invention it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art after understanding theinvention, that various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it isintended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in theappended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for driving and lifting respectively a pile member, saiddevice comprising an upright frame structure resting upon a supportbase, a yoke, guide and drive means supported on the frame structure forguiding and driving said yoke up and down along the same, a vibrationexciter including rotary means for generating dynamic alternatelydirected forces, spring means yieldably suspending said exciter fromsaid yoke, said eXciter being connectable in force-transmittingengagement with a pile member to be driven and lifted respectively forapplying the generated dynamic forces thereto, and coupling means forfixedly coupling the yoke to the guide and drive means in a selectedposition in reference to the exciter to vary thereby the tension of saidspring means, said yoke and said guide and drive means constituting astatic load acting upon the eXciter and the pile member in accordancewith the selected position of the yoke.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said guide and drive meanscomprise an endless cable drive mounted on the frame structure, and saidcoupling means comprise a clamping member secured to said yoke andclamped to the cable drive.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said guide and drive meanscomprise a rack secured to the frame structure and extending along thelength thereof, and a pinion secured to the yoke and engaging said rack.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said frame structure is mountedon a movable support base, said base including a platform, and whereinballast weights are placeable upon said platform.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein a transport roller is providedat the base end of said frame structure for moving the same in referenceto a pile to be driven or lifted.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein said guide and drive meanscomprise a rack secured to the frame structure, a pinion secured to theyoke and engaging the rack, and a drive motor mounted on the said yokeand coupled to the pinion for displacing the yoke up and down inreference to the rack.

References (Jilted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,044,877 Curtis June 23, 1936 2,134,989 Templeton Nov. 1, 19382,153,557 Grenier Apr. 11, 1939 2,239,024 Vance Apr. 22, 1941 2,599,995Habson et al. June 10, 1952 2,711,880 McKenzie June 28, 1955 2,907,550Heinish Oct. 6, 1959 2,975,846 Bodine Mar. 21, 1961 2,990,022 Muller eta1 June 27, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 519,802 Belgium May 30, 1953 710,574Germany Sept. 17, 1941 1,178,589 France Dec. 15, 1958

1. A DEVICE FOR DRIVING AND LIFTING RESPECTIVELY A PILE MEMBER, SAIDDEVICE COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT FRAME STRUCTURE RESTING UPON A SUPPORTBASE, A YOKE, GUIDE AND DRIVE MEANS SUPPORTED ON THE FRAME STRUCTURE FORGUIDING AND DRIVING SAID YOKE UP AND DOWN ALONG THE SAME, A VIBRATIONEXCITER INCLUDING ROTARY MEANS FOR GENERATING DYNAMIC ALTERNATELYDIRECTED FORCES, SPRING MEANS YIELDABLY SUSPENDING SAID EXCITER FROMSAID YOKE, SAID EXCITER BEING CONNECTABLE IN FORCE-TRANSMITTINGENGAGEMENT WITH A PILE MEMBER TO BE DRIVEN AND LIFTED RESPECTIVELY FORAPPLYING THE GENERATED DYNAMIC FORCES THERETO, AND COUPLING MEANS FORFIXEDLY COUPLING THE YOKE TO THE GUIDE AND DRIVE MEANS IN A SELECTEDPOSITION IN REFERENCE TO THE EXCITER TO VARY THEREBY THE TENSION OF SAIDSPRING MEANS, SAID YOKE AND SAID GUIDE AND DRIVE MEANS CONSTITUTING ASTATIC LOAD ACTING UPON THE EXCITER AND THE